


The Boogeyman

by ShrubsinTubs



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Fantasy, Fiction, Human, Humans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-19 01:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11302515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShrubsinTubs/pseuds/ShrubsinTubs
Summary: A short story involving an original character I've had for a while.





	The Boogeyman

**Author's Note:**

> A short story involving an original character I've had for a while.

Inside a closet or under a bed were The Boogeyman’s favorite places to reside. One would think that he couldn’t fit. However, his ability to morph his form made this no problem.

He was in a closet now. A growing fear filled him.

From the other room, a loud voice could be heard. Boogeyman shrunk backwards from the sound. Only when it ceased and a door slammed did he risk cracking open the closet door. His one, red eye fell upon a girl. Many years of observing humans had given the creature an insight into their aging process. This one was just a child. 

The girl sat on the end of a bed. He couldn’t see her face, but heard sobbing.

He hesitated for a moment, before melting into the darkness of the closet, into his shadow form. Using this facade, he slipped past the closet door.

Fortunately, both the light was turned off and it was dark outside, so he could easily hide among the natural shadows of the room. He moved into a position from which he could see her face.

From her big, brown, lowered eyes tears came. On her cheek, a bruise rested. That wasn’t there the last time he had seen her.

Boogeyman darted out of the room and through the house. On his way to the kitchen, he avoided an adult.

By the time Boogeyman returned, the little girl in bed.

Shifting out of his shadow form, the creature carefully set the items down on the dresser to the left. Creeping closer, Boogeyman gently tapped the child’s shoulder with a claw before very quickly ducking back into the shadows. 

Eyes snapping open, the girl sat up and looked around, gaze stopping a glass of chocolate milk and an ice pack. 

She looked around once more, slowly, before hopping to her feet and moving to the gifts. The pack was pressed to her bruise, and she sipped the drink, smiling a little.

Boogey waited until she had finished with the items and gone back to bed to place the glass in the kitchen sink, put the pack in the fridge, and slip back into the closet, intending to get some rest himself.

*

The next morning, the house was quiet. Shifting into shadow, he exited the closet and moved throughout the building to realize that only the small one was there. This made him less fearful. He moved for the nearest door, but a shout made him stop and look to the source.

There, the girl stood. Boogeyman realized now that he could be very easily seen in the patch of light he now stood in. He moved for the door again, more quickly, but the voice piped up, causing him to stop once more.

“C-come out!” the child demanded, a baseball bat held tightly in both hands.

This didn’t scare Boogeyman, but she  _ had _ asked for him to come out, so he did so.

She took a step back, her own wide eyes regarding the creature. “...wh-who  _ are _ you?”

“Boogeyman.” he answered.

“L-like... _ the _ -? Oh goodness..w-well, you won’t be able to eat me! I’ve got a bat.” she huffed, raising it slightly. 

Boogeyman raised his hands, glancing back towards the door. “Would ya..like me t’ leave?”

“Promise not to eat me?”

“‘Course.”

“...okay. You can stay.” She threw the bat over her shoulder and strode back towards the kitchen. 

Boogeyman carefully sat on a couch in what he guessed was the living room. He took up his time with looking the place over-he could see more detail in his physical form-before the youngest resident returned. 

What happened next caught the creature by surprise-she sat beside him. Putting the bat down, she lifted a single donut and started eating. She stared up at him. He stared back. 

She looked away, “Don’t look at me like that.”

He did as asked. 

There was a silence between the two for a bit. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl finish her food and look at him.

“My name’s Chloe.” she piped up after a moment.

Boogeyman nodded.

“...you left that stuff in my room, didn’t you?” Chloe asked, wiping at her face with the back of a hand. The bruise had faded a little.

Nod again.

“Thank you. Can you...not do it again?”

“Why not?”

“My...dad might notice.” she explained, voice lowering halfway through the sentence.

Boogeyman frowned at this. He moved to pat Chloe’s head, quickly hesitating when she  _ flinched _ at the action. The creature carefully pulled his hand away.

*

Chloe allowed Boogeyman to stay for the rest of the day. She even seemed to want him there a little, if her leading him after her was anything to go by. If it made the little one feel better, he was happy to follow and listen.

“Where  _ is  _ yer dad?” he asked around noon. They were watching cartoons on the living room television.

“At work.” she answered.

Nod.

“How long have you been here?”

“Couple o’ days. I planned t’ leave today.”

Chloe frowned at that, looking at Boogeyman now. “Can you stay a little longer?” she asked, voice wavering, “I-I don’t think I could share food and stuff with you and you’d have to hide from my dad, but...”

“...sure. I don’t need food or water, anyway.”

She sighed in relief. “Thank you…”

Boogeyman smiled at her, and she smiled back.

*

When Chloe’s dad returned that night, Boogeyman hid in her room. Despite her dad being home, Chloe didn’t interact much with him and stayed in her room a lot, lending Boogey a small game and watching him play it at one point. The creature was just glad that she didn’t get hurt again.

*

The next day, Chloe's father was home, so Boogeyman had to continue hiding. She was there to keep him company, though.

“Why ‘aven’t ya left yer room much?” Boogeyman asked quietly.

“I’m grounded.” she whispered.

Nod.

“Boogeyman?”

“Hm?”

“You know where my dad’s room is?”

“Yeah.”

“I...he t-took my crayons and paper. He puts the stuff he takes from me under his bed. C-could you get them?” Chloe begged, watery eyes gazing up at Boogeyman.

Nodding again, Boogeyman changed into shadow before slipping out. Moving quickly, but being attentive so that another resident of the home wouldn’t see him, he had the colors and sketchbook in no time. A smile couldn’t be stopped from forming on his face as he appeared to Chloe with the desired items in his claws. 

She gasped at the sight, before suddenly hugging him tight. Eye widening down at her, Boogeyman paused for a moment. After taking what was going on in, he slowly lowered to wrap long, skinny arms around the much smaller form. The two embraced for a couple of seconds, before Chloe took her crayons and sketchbook and pulled away. Boogey released her, standing again.

“Th-thank you.” she quietly told him, walking to her bed and sitting. She opened her sketchbook.

Boogeyman moved closer, gaze on the book. “May I…?”

“Mm-hm!” She handed it to him.

Taking it, Boogeyman carefully flipped through. The drawings displayed the skill of someone her age, but also effort. He glanced up to see Chloe watching him, biting her lip. “They’re good.” he complimented.

“Th-thanks, again. Can I draw you?”

“Yeah.” He returned it.

Chloe grinned before starting to draw. Boogeyman sat down in front of her on the floor. 

“What happened to your eye?” she questioned.

“It got poked out.”

“Oh...I’m sorry.”

“S’alright. It was a while ago, anyway.”

“How old’re you?”

“I...dunno.”

“You don’t know?”

Boogeyman shook his head.

“Do you have parents?”

“Dunno. I just remember...existin’, one day.”

“That’s...weird.” she commented, furrowing her brow.

Silence, aside from the scratching of a crayon filled the room until Boogeyman spoke again, “Why did yer dad hit ya?”

“H-he said...it was discipline. I said a word I saw somewhere, a-and it turned out to be bad one. He made me stay in my room and took my drawing stuff too, ‘cause I bothered him with my art and I’m never gonna get an actual job with it…” the movement of her wrist slowed.

“Don’t listen to ‘im.” Boogeyman said very quickly.

Jumping, Chloe lowered her gaze. “I-I’m sorry-”

“It’s alright.”

“S-sorry.”

“It’s okay. Yer a good kid, y’know that?”

“I am?”

“Y’are. No matter what yer dad does or says. Y’don’t deserve the treatment ‘e gives ya, and yer art is beautiful.” Boogeyman encouraged.

Chloe slowly smiled, and continued drawing. That’s what they both did the rest of the day, in fact. The girl and the monster drew.

*

The Boogeyman was under a bed now-Chloe’s. She had requested for him to do so that night. Though she now knew that there were no monsters that would eat her in the closet, the space beneath her bed was still a mystery. So there Boogey was, guarding the space in his sleep. Said sleep was soon ended.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t-” Chloe's choke was cut off by a sickening thud.

Boogeyman opened his eye to see Chloe’s trembling form curled up against the wall. She held her bleeding head and sobbed.

Nearby, Boogeyman could see the feet of Chloe’s father. Beside them lay broken crayons and torn pages.

Despite his fear and guilt, the Boogeyman pulled himself out from under the bed and moved to stand between Chloe and her attacker. He towered above the adult.

Dropping the wooden plank he previously held, the man cried out, taking a few steps back before turning and running out of the room. Boogeyman moved to face Chloe. She hugged him the moment he lowered to her level. Hugging back, Boogey gently scooped her up. As he left the building, he could hear the adult speaking to someone else in a different room.

Wet grass greeted Boogeyman’s hooves as he stepped outside, shutting the door behind. It was dark.

He moved to the right of the door and sat down, gaze softening and lowering to Chloe. She clung to him, still crying, but was quieter and had stopped shaking. He continued to hold the child, licking his thumb and carefully wiping away blood with it. “Let it out…” he assured softly.

After a bit, Chloe had calmed almost completely. The sound of sirens made the creature look up, however.

Chloe looked up at Boogeyman. “Y-you have to hide, or they’ll see you.”

The creature frowned. “What about you?”

“I...think I’ll be okay.” Chloe slowly assured Boogeyman, smiling up at him.

At this, The Boogeyman hugged Chloe one last time, before putting her down and fading into shadow.

Of course, he stayed around to watch just in case. Chloe’s attacker was arrested. Boogeyman heard something about prank-calling 911. Chloe herself was taken by the police, though he had a feeling that this was a good thing. Maybe after this, she wouldn’t have to live under the same roof as her father anymore.

*

Though she was glad to be away from her dad, Chloe wondered what had happened to Boogeyman. She did love her mom, but Boogey was her friend too, and she missed him.

Days passed, and during one, Chloe’s mom had taken her to the park for the first time in a while. They had a picnic with sandwiches and tea for lunch, and she enjoyed it.

On the way back from the trash can, Chloe was stopped by an old man in dark clothes. 

“Excuse me, sir.” she piped up.

“Chloe?”

Chloe perked at the familiarity of the rough voice, and gasped when the speaker revealed a crayon drawing of a red-eyed, pointy-eared creature of whom was even more familiar. She quickly hugged him, tears in her eyes. “Boogeyman!!!”

Boogeyman laughed at that, hugging Chloe in return.

“I missed you.” she admitted.

Boogeyman carefully moved to pat her head, before glancing to her mother. “You okay? Who’s that?”

“Much better. That’s my mom! She’s taking care of me now,” she continued, “She’s nicer than my dad. She got me better crayons and paper. Look!” Chloe showed him a drawing.

Boogeyman looked it over, before nodding. His eye rose.

Chloe looked in that direction as well. There, she saw her mom quickly walking towards her.

“Chloe!” the adult called.

“I gotta go!” Chloe told Boogeyman, putting her drawing away. She saw him waving her off as she moved to rejoin her mom.

Said mom lectured her on not talking to strangers. Though Chloe knew that Boogeyman wasn’t a stranger, she listened to her mother anyway, eyes on her.

After her mom had finished, Chloe looked back to where The Boogeyman had previously stood, only to find that he was gone.


End file.
